At Ease and with Stomach Butterflies
by ks-cowgirl
Summary: Lucas must choose between Peyton and Brooke. This story takes place right after the OTH episode "With Arms Outstretched".


Please read and leave reviews.  
  
***I don't own One Tree Hill, any of the characters, ect., ect., blah, blah, blah.***  
  
Part 1: Lucas  
  
Lucas lay in bed starring up at the ceiling. His mind wandered to everything from his homework to his gym socks, but he still kept coming back to one issue. He couldn't keep it out of his mind. It consumed him like fie in a can of gasoline. He tried to think of something else, put it off until tomorrow, but nothing seemed to work.  
Had he made the right decision? Should he really deny himself of the girl he had lusted after for so long only to go running to a girl he had just recently become infatuated with? It didn't seem fair the Peyton, the object of his obsession, should finally admit her feelings for him just as Brooke had started to become more than just a friend.  
Lucas had made a spur-of-the-moment decision. He followed his heart even though his mind was screaming no. He didn't know why he had chosen Brooke. She seemed all wrong for him. Brooke was a party girl and shockingly beautiful. It was these same qualities that had every high school guy in Tree Hill lusting after her that had driven Lucas away.  
He was the quiet, laid back type that would rather read a book than go to a party. It only seemed right that he would fall for Peyton who listened to the same emu music as he did and who spent her Saturday nights drawing in front of her web-cam. Lucas thought of her as a walking contradiction. She seemed to be mad at the world, yet she was a cheerleader; her motto was don't conform, yet she had dated Nathan Scott who seemed to thrive of conformity; and her best friend was Brooke Davis, who seemed to stand for everything she was against.  
While starring at his ceiling, Lucas was reminded of all the times he had been there for Peyton, and yet she did nothing but push him away. He began to wonder if maybe he hadn't made such a bad decision after all.  
  
Part 2: Peyton  
  
Peyton sat at her desk drawing. She looked down at her paper, frowned, erased something, and nodded to herself. She concentrated hard on her drawing, lightly brushing her pencil across the page. When she was finished, she held it up in the light so she could see it better. It was a sketch of Lucas holding her hand saying "This is what I want, I want you...us. And now we can't have it."  
It was a correct portrayal of her feelings. She was angry and humiliated. She had been so sure that Lucas like her, but he made it clear that whatever he had felt before was gone. It it's place were his feelings for Brooke.  
Her anger at Brooke seemed to burn inside her. "How could she hook up with Lucas when she knew that I have feelings for him?" Peyton thought to herself.  
  
Part 3: Brooke  
  
Brooke kept her hand steady and unwavering as she moved the brush back and forth. She always did the best job painting her toenails when she was stressed. She couldn't help feeling guilty, but Peyton had insisted that there was nothing between her and Lucas. Brooke had seen how she looked at her when she found out that she had been dating Lucas. Peyton had been furious.  
Brooke didn't want to ruin her friendship with Peyton, yet she knew she had done nothing wrong. Had she known how Peyton felt about Lucas she would never had pursued anything with him. She felt guilty for hurting Peyton, but she didn't regret going for it with Lucas.  
Luke was such a great guy. He was courteous, caring, funny, smart, and his good looks didn't hurt either. While Peyton would say that what she had with Lucas was just a fling, Brooke knew it was more than that.  
  
Part 4: The Next Day  
  
Lucas focused on his locker. The numbers flashed through his head as he turned the dial. 39, 17, 24. 39, 17, 24. He turned to the last number and tried to lift the handle. It didn't budge.  
"It's right, left, right," he heard a voice behind him say.  
He turned around to see Peyton smiling at him. "What?"  
"Your locker combination. You have to turn it right, then left, then right again."  
Lucas starred back at her with a blank look on his face.  
"Oh, just let me do it," Peyton replied. She dialed in the numbers he told her and snapped the locker open.  
"Thanks," Lucas said sincerely, "I can never figure those things out."  
"No problem," Peyton replied. "So can I talk to you about something?"  
"Sure, anything," Lucas answered following her into the empty gym. "So what did you want to talk about?"  
"This," Peyton said throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.  
Lucas wasn't sure how he felt. In fact, he felt nothing. No butterflies in his stomach, no racing heart, and no sweaty palms.  
"I can't do this, Peyton. I have to go," he replied running out of the gym.  
He ran down the hall, frantically looking, searching for Brooke. 'Where could she be?' he thought to himself. He suddenly spotted her by her locker.  
"Brooke!"  
"Hey handsome," she replied jokingly.  
"Do you, um, I mean...would you consider..." he suddenly lost his confidence and trailed off mid-sentence.  
"Are you like trying to ask me out Lucas?" Brooke questioned.  
"Um, yes," he replied. "Will you go out with me tonight, Brooke?"  
"Of course, but you didn't have to ask. It's kind of implied that you go out with your girlfriend on Friday night."  
Brooke leaned up and gently pecked him on the lips. His heart was racing, yet at the same time he felt at ease. It was at that moment he knew he had made the right decision. 


End file.
